A very long time ago, before the age of man, the world was an extremely different place, yet similar in certain aspects. But the aim of this story is not to discuss the contrasting and comparing of the two. This story begins with a bear named Plucky.
Plucky was eight years old, a mere cub as bears aged in those days. He lived with his mother inside of a great oak tree near the center of the Evergreen Forest, the only place Plucky ever called home. Plucky stood about four of our feet tall, and was known for wearing overalls of various colors. But regardless of his clothing, he was always seen wearing a leather necklace upon which hung a red ruby shard. This ruby pendant was by far Plucky's most important belonging. Plucky's mother had given him the pendant soon after his father had vanished. This pendant, therefore, was the only connection Plucky had to his father. He had no recollection of his father and only knew about him from his mother, who used to tell Plucky stories about his father, the most powerful mage in the forest, and reluctantly told Plucky about his sudden disappearance at the end of the War of the Forest. When he wasn't listening to tales of his brave father, Plucky could be found romping around and playing games with his friends, when they weren't fishing in the great river. Wherever their adventures took them, they avoided the lea in the center of the forest. The lea was sacred, and nearly exclusive to the Seven Lions (there were once nine Lions but it was said two had perished during the War) who ruled over the forest and preserved its beauty as only they could. There was one exception to this particular rule. Every Year's end there would be a feast celebrating the advent of the new year. It was known as the Harvest Feast.
And once every eight years the moon would shine a warm blue for seven nights. The last time the moon shone blue marked Plucky's day of birth. On this coming Harvest Feast the moon would shine blue again, and it is here where our story begins.
